Bloodthirsty Badoo killings spark fear in Lagos community

Bloodthirsty Badoo killings spark fear in Lagos community

People cover their noses at the stench of death in the Crystal Church of God in Owode Onirin, just outside Lagos, where bloody clothes, drums, bibles and hymn books still litter the bare floor.

So-called “cult killings” — gang violence often fuelled by drugs and belief in black magic — are not a new phenomenon in Nigeria, which is nearly evenly split between a Muslim north and Christian south.

Crime often spikes during times of economic hardship.

But the murders by the Badoo are making headlines because of their increasing frequency and the manner in which victims are dispatched.

Bloodthirsty Badoo killings spark fear in Lagos community

“They must have scaled the fence and hypnotised the victims before carrying out their deadly act,” Israel Ojobaro, an engineer who lives on the church premises, told AFP.

“Two women and two children, including a nine-month-old baby, had their heads smashed with a grinding stone.”

The gang then moved to another church on the same street to steal money and mobile phones.

“They must have used (magic) charms as no one noticed when they entered the church. By the time the worshippers were awake, their phones and money had been taken away,” said church head Taiwo Adesanya. More on Source